


Early On A Late Summer Afternoon

by mocha_sun



Series: these bitches gay, good for them, good for them [1]
Category: HLVRAI - Fandom, Half-Life VR but the AI is Self-Aware - Fandom
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Feelings Realization, Fluff, He/Him and They/Them Pronouns for Benrey (Half-Life), M/M, Not A Game AU, Other, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:55:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29720328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mocha_sun/pseuds/mocha_sun
Summary: During an outing with the Science Team, Gordon's single in-use braincell stops being emotionally dysfunctional (affectionate).It's not that big of a deal.
Relationships: Benrey/Gordon Freeman
Series: these bitches gay, good for them, good for them [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2184258
Comments: 6
Kudos: 71





	Early On A Late Summer Afternoon

**Author's Note:**

> Shoot don't expect this to be anything special I just wanted to write some Gordon Freeman feelings realization on my phone and that's what this is,,  
> I will follow up on this story, maybe, but the most I can give is a maybe.  
> Enjoy gays.

It happened on a summer afternoon. There was absolutely nothing special about the day, or so Gordon thought, so far at least. He, Joshie, and the NeoScience Team were having a get-together in a nice, open park, one with a big pond in the center, because Joshua had wanted to see the frogs. 

Gordon, Tommy, Benrey, and Darnold sat at a picnic table in the shade of an oak tree, chatting idly as they watched Bubby and Coomer look for frogs with Joshua. A pleasant breeze blew by occasionally, relieving the summer heat that was just a touch too warm for Gordon. 

All in all, it was a nice, normal day. It had been a few months over a year since they'd escaped Black Mesa with little more than their lives, dazedly stepping out of a decrepit Chuck E Cheese's on an early June day. They'd all had time to heal, take a break, go to therapy, work out their relationships, and settle back into normal lives. They'd moved far away from Black Mesa and the reminders of the nightmarish week and a half they had spent escaping hell; now settling in Northern California, in a small town that seemed equidistant from most of the things the team enjoyed, such as the mountains, the city, or the ocean. 

It hadn't been really much of a shock when Benrey had appeared on Tommy's doorstep a couple of days after the party; they'd all seen the skeleton joining the festivities and the Science Team figured they'd be back within a week. Still, that hadn't erased the fact that no one in the group of friends was doing okay, even with each other, so while Benrey got to stay at Tommy's place, nothing was perfect right away. 

However, slowly but surely, the team got better, going to therapy and psychiatrist appointments for the first two months with the significant financial compensation each of them had received; then moving up north together and settling as neighbors in a quaint town half in the middle of nowhere. 

It took half a year for all of them to fully earn back each other's trust, but once they did, it was like a huge boulder lifted off of their backs. With the biggest issue resolved, the team had thrown themselves back into society proper with a vigor, unable to handle being static for much longer. They found new homes, new jobs, new hobbies, pushing their lives back into motion with the typical excessive force the Science Team tended to exhibit by habit and by nature. 

Gordon moved into a small two story house, finally able to have Joshua for weekends and breaks. Benrey, having revitalized their friendship with Gordon (albeit with the same playful antagonistic nature as before, but with much clearer boundaries set by both of them), bought the house next door. Tommy lived down the street, with Darnold moving in a few houses down from him. Bubby and Coomer found a larger house not far, a few roads over, moving in together as they got used to being in a committed relationship together. Forzen and G-Man were nowhere to be seen, but Tommy had assured the rest of them that everything was fine. 

Now, another seven months had passed, and, yeah, they were all doing okay. The thought passed through his mind occasionally, but right now it was sitting unmoving right at the top of his thoughts, reminding him that things were good now as he and his closest friends spent the day together enjoying the gentle summer weather. 

A ringing laugh pulled Gordon from his musings, making him glance over at the other three occupants of the table. Darnold must have said something funny, because Tommy was hunched over snickering into his arm against the wooden table, and Benrey was leaning back, head tilted up as a melodic laugh that was so different from the staticky cackle Gordon had heard many times in Black Mesa left their mouth towards the clouds, eyes half shut, sparkling with amusement. 

Gordon was doing his best not to stare; in this moment his best didn't seem to be much at all, because he was definitely staring. For a second, he was so focused on the way their laugh made Benrey's face light up even more than the warm afternoon sun shining on their hair did that he didn't notice his heart fluttering like a butterfly in a windstorm on Jupiter. A second later, though, Benrey's laugh was dying down, and Gordon quickly looked away and in the direction of the parking lot as to not get caught staring (Tommy and Darnold definitely saw, no matter how much he'd tried to hide it, and the knowing look they exchanged was like a gleeful grin using their eyes). The irregular beating of his heart dawned on him then, and he swallowed nervously, frantically pushing the sensation to the side by turning his attention to the two older members of the Science Team, who were now trying to assist his son in catching a rather large toad. 

Suddenly, he came up with an out, a way to get away from the confusing feelings and potentially awkward conversation before Benrey inevitably started teasing him for zoning out. He stood, grabbing his wallet off of the table, and glanced around the group. 

"Does anyone want ice cream? I was thinking I could go get some for all of us," he asked, shoving the wallet in his jeans pocket. 

"Could I please have a small vanilla ice cream?" Darnold requested with a small happy smile. Gordon nodded. 

"I'll have some uh orange sherbet, please!" was Tommy's response, then he paused, thinking for a bit. "Maybe Benrey should- should go with you, Gordon! S-so you can carry all of the-the-the ice cream easier!"

Gordon tilted his head in consideration, ignoring the fact that his heart skipped a beat at the thought of simply going to get ice cream for the group, alone with Benrey, as well as the knowing glint of mischief in Tommy's eyes. "Yeah, that makes sense. You good with that, dude?" He threw a glance down to the bouncy eldritch being beside him, who nodded with a grin. "Sure, bro, let's get this fucking bread!"

Gordon snorted, shaking his head im mock exasperation, then turned and took a few steps down the hill towards the pond, drawing in a breath. 

"HEY BUBBY, COOMER, JOSHIE, WHAT ICE CREAM DO YOU WANT?" he called, pulling the trio's attention from the squirming toad in Joshie's grasp. 

" **HELLO, GORDON! I WOULD LOVE A NICE CUP OF COOKIES AND CREAM ICED CREAM, PLEASE!** " was the booming first answer from down the hill, Coomer needlessly cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify the yell. 

"Cashews! Peanut Butter! Pistachio! Chocolate!" Joshua rattled off after Coomer's request, still gripping the panicked toad with both hands as he waved it at his father. Gordon snickered, watching the poor creature wave its arms frantically in hopes of escaping. 

Bubby looked up from where he was poking through the cattails, likely for another frog, and following the other two, called back up, "Get me caramel or something! And don't dawdle, we've got frogs to catch!" 

Gordon huffed out a laugh, rolling his eyes, and nodded. Motioning with his head towards the snack stand across the parking lot, he beckoned Benrey with a smile. "C'mon, man, let's go." Benrey hopped up from their seat bouncing on the balls of their feet as he shoved his phone in his pocket and began walking. "So, what ice cream do you want?" 

Benrey slowed slightly, pondering. "I dunno, man, I'm still not that good with what flavours exist 'n shit. I guess I'll. See what they have? Or some...thing." They shrugged, a bit awkwardly. 

Gordon laughed, but nodded. "Yeah, I get it, man. Too many things to pick from. Who decided that there should be so many choices all the time? I'm probably going to get coffee ice cream like always, anyway." 

"Eeeew, Feetman eats coffee ice cream? Like the actual gross bean water isn't enough? Idiot?" They stick their tongue out at Gordon in disgust, drawing a wheezing laugh out of him. 

Gordon put his hands up in mock defense, interrupting his own laughter with an argument of "Dude! It's not that bad, it's not bitter or anything! Even you'd like it, come on! You haven't even tried it before!" 

Benrey snorted, shoving their hands in their pockets. "Yeah, right, as if I'd ever like something that's watered down beans. Get real, Beanman, you're just a- a weirdo who likes the brown drug seeds and boils them in water, that's not right."

Gordon doubled over, stumbling over his own feet as he laughed even harder. "B-Benrey, what the hell! What- _Beanman_? Boiled brown drug seeds?? _What_?!?!?" He dragged a hand down his face, shoving his glasses off-kilter. "What the fuck are you _ever fucking talking about_?"

The alien in question beamed down at Gordon's bent over form, pride and amusement shining in their eyes. "Bold to assume I know what I'm saying, Beandon Beanman." 

Gordon's breath got caught in his throat, looking up at their expression, but with the statement that followed, he dismissed it as part of the near-silent wheezing fit he had at Benrey's nonsensical phrase. Rising up from his position pacing the ground, he sighed, out of breath, then clapped a hand on Benrey's shoulder to lead them back towards the small building. 

The walk was only another minute, not enough for the silence to get awkward, and when they reached the shack, the line is pretty short. Gordon elbowed Benrey gently and pointed up at the ice cream flavours listed above the ordering window, and they nodded in understanding. Meanwhile, Gordon proceeded to dig out a relatively appropriate amount of money to pay for the ice creams, watching Benrey's eyes flicker over the long list. The tip of their tongue stuck out between their lips in concentration. 

Gordon's face turned pink and he faced back ahead, stepping forward as the last person in front of them finished paying and walked away from the counter with a wave at the person behind the register. 

"Could I please get a small vanilla ice cream, medium orange sherbet, medium cookies and cream, a small caramel..." he trailed off, squinting at the list of flavours. "a small chocolate peanut butter ice cream, and a medium coffee ice cream?" he listed off, counting down on the fingers of his non-prosthetic hand. 

The tall, college-age person behind the counter nodded and jotted each one down with a light smile, the pins on their apron catching the afternoon light, displaying their name and pronouns, Lex and she/they. "Anything else?" 

Gordon nodded, and nudged Benrey lightly with his shoulder to draw their attention. "Hey Ben, have you chosen yet?" Their eyes flickered up to his face, and the short eldritch alien hummed in confirmation. "Small blackberry sherbet, please and thank you."

Gordon looked over to the cashier to see if they got it, and they scribbled the last part down. 

"And would those be cups or cones," Lex asked, fiddling with the pen in her hand. Gordon pondered for a second, then said "Cups for all of them except for the chocolate peanut butter, please." She nodded one last time, then listed off their total, twenty one dollars and fifty cents, as well as their order number. Gordon handed her the exact change and led Benrey over to the pickup counter with a hand on their arm, voicing a polite "goodbye" in the cashier's direction. 

As they reached the other area, the intimacy of his hand's position on Benrey's arm dawned on Gordon, and he dropped it back to his side, cheeks darkening with embarrassment. Benrey smirked at him, noticing the action; suddenly the tree across the parking lot became very intriguing to the taller man.

The two of them leaned against the brick wall of the snack shed to wait for their orders. A few minutes passed, Benrey staring at their phone, and Gordon staring at the same tree, lost in thought. Abruptly, he was pulled out of his zoned-out contemplation by his companion nudging his shoulder with their own as they held up their phone for him to see. Gordon's eyes flickered down to the screen and settled on the shitty deep-fried videogame meme staring up at him, and he huffed out a breathy snicker. Then, Benrey scrolled down to the next meme, and Gordon's composure fell apart as he doubled over in wheezing laughter at the even less comprehensible meme presented on the screen, image shaking as Benrey's own shoulders shook with suppressed mirth. 

A minute later, as their laughter tapered off into gasps and chuckles, their order number was called, and they both straightened up, taking deep breaths to regain their composure. They walked up to the counter and gathered the various desserts in their arms, Gordon picking up five of the cups while Benrey grabbed a handful of spoons and napkins along with theirs and Joshua's ice creams, stuffing their phone back in their pocket. 

The two of them turned to head back to their group of friends, focusing on not dropping anything. Gordon's mind buzzed, and he felt as though his head was full of moths of pure warmth circling an emotion that had been slowly building over the past who knows how long. Benrey was silent, already tasting their blackberry sherbet with a curious expression. Soon enough, they stopped at the picnic table where the rest of the team sat, Bubby, Coomer, and Joshie having joined them while Gordon and Benrey were gone. The two returning members set down the treats and eating utensils, each one in front of the person who'd requested it. Once done, Gordon slid onto the bench beside his son, setting a napkin under Joshua's dripping, already half-eaten ice cream, while Benrey plopped down beside Dr. Coomer across the table from Gordon. 

Chatter picked back up, and though Gordon participated, his mind wandered, tentatively exploring the warm feeling more than he'd ever dared previously. His ice cream sat before him, half-melted in its paper cup. 

The feeling was not an unpleasant one, he decided. He'd felt it before, it seemed familiar, like an old acquaintance he hadn't seen in years. Gordon rested his right elbow on the table and set his chin on the smooth metal surface, staring sightlessly into the distance. When had he felt this last? It had been a while. He counted back by years, one since the rescas, two before... Nothing came to mind. He continued backtracking, thinking back to the first few months he'd started working in Black Mesa. He remembered being much happier the first month than he'd been any time following it. The second month in New Mexico at Black Mesa had been when he'd gotten divorced, the relationship finally crumbling as he and his ex fell out of touch and out of love. 

Oh. 

That's what it was. 

Love. 

That first month had been the last time he felt love of this kind, but now he remembered the feeling, and it was the same one that had been snowballing slowly the past few months. 

Was he in-

A slightly sticky napkin smacking him in the face snapped him out of his reverie, and he blinked rapidly, refocusing his eyesight on the culprit. Benrey, sitting across from him, was staring at him with a devious expression over their face, hand still raised in a follow-through position and distinctly lacking a purple-stained napkin. 

Gordon blinked once more, then snorted in amusement, rolling his eyes. 

"What do you want, Benrey?" he asked, picking up the makeshift projectile and tossing it back at them with ease. 

Benrey grinned wider, eyes narrowing with faux malicious intent, and they hissed at him, "Beandon Beanman isn't even eating his bean ice, are- are you not actually a Bean-man? Gordon Liarman? Didn't you say you liked bean water?"

Gordon sputtered, the need to reply and the persistent laughter battling for control of his lungs. He shook his head, covering his mouth with a hand, then shoved the ice cream across the table to Benrey and mumbled, "just try it, dumbass," shoulders shaking with suppressed snickers. 

Not one to back down, they reached out and picked the cup up, squinting at it with suspicion. They lifted it to their mouth, and forgoing the use of a spoon, stuck their tongue out to poke the light brown dessert carefully, as though it could bite them at any moment, lowering it back down apprehensively. 

"What, are you scared, _Benrey_? Nervous about a little coffee ice cream? D'you want a chicken hat to go with it? It's okay if you don't want to try it," Gordon teased, knowing full well he was just provoking them. In response, Benrey's eyes flicked up to meet his, and without breaking eye contact, they brought the cup back up to their face and licked the ice cream more aggressively, scooping out a spoonful with their tongue and pulling it back into their mouth, teeth snapping shut behind it. 

The triumphant challenge in their eyes was clear as day. Gordon's face flared up in a violent blush, but not out of anger; he reached out and grabbed the cup back from Benrey, cheeks completely burning. 

"Well?" he muttered, distractedly looking for an out in the situation. 

Benrey stuck their tongue out at him again, defiantly, and retorted, "still gross, idiot Beanman." Satisfied with their result of Gordon spluttering and flushing with embarrassment, they threw their head back and laughed delightedly. 

Gordon's mouth shut, his brain's efforts to reply redirecting to making his face even redder, somehow. All of his feelings from the past few months, all of his deliberation the past hour, came rushing back at him, slamming into his mind like a freight train, and the thought that had been interrupted unknowingly by Benrey answered itself as Gordon stared at the joyful eldritch being across from him, unable to tear his eyes away. 

Yeah, he was definitely in love with Benrey. 

And as the afternoon sun glanced off of their pale skin and pitch black hair, Gordon decided he didn't mind that fact at all. 

**Author's Note:**

> As always, sun-needs-sleep on tumblr, mocha.sun on instagram, hope you liked reading :)


End file.
